Ohio seeks $16m from UnitedHealth’s PBM for overcharging on drugs

Ohio officials are ratcheting up their closely watched battle with pharmacy benefit managers as the state attorney general is seeking nearly $16 million from OptumRx for allegedly failing to pass along discounts for generic drugs that were purchased by a state agency.

In a Feb. 11 letter to the pharmacy benefit manager, Attorney General Dave Yost claims that Optum failed to manage the purchases and “wrongfully increased prices” to the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation between 2015 and 2018. He also noted that he considers the “overcharges” to be a “matter of considerable public significance,” and that funds sought do not include damages.

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